Bioshock, so far, has been slightly terrifying. Still, there’s hope yet. But first, a preface.
I downloaded Bioshock from Steam based on a recommendation from a friend. I loved it but I found it clumsy at times in terms of the controls for shooting; the aiming felt vague and inprecise. I made it as far as the start of the first real level – the Medical Pavilion – and became distracted by other activities. Among them, I was determined to finish Fallout 3 (which took me months to do – I tend to explore a lot – but I finally did it).
This latest foray into Bioshock, however, is not an attempt to pick it up where I left off; it’s a restart. I picked it up quite cheaply for PS3, determined to give it another go, hoping the console controls would be more comfortable. The answer is “kinda”. Anyway, it had been so long since I played it on PC, this was really all about starting from scratch. And it was just as terrifying.
Early in the game I found myself creeping around corners and, often, too scared to go any further. This place was just way too scary: the disfigured psychotic residents, the deep-sea-diving monsters protecting blood-sucking little girls with glowing eyes, the claustrophobia, the general sense of doom pervading all of Rapture. If it were real life, I would still be curled up in the foetal position in the bathysphere.
What I am noticing, however, is that I’m developing some bravery. I’m more confident in being able to prepare myself to take on Big Daddies; I don’t worry so much when I can hear the raspy voice of a splicer around the corner as they sing a 1930s ballad to themselves; my resolve is steeled to get through each level. Essentially, I’m finding myself become more pragmatic in my approach to surviving Rapture.
So far I’ve taken out five or six Big Daddies on my own, and saved about four Little Sisters (I just can’t bring myself to harvest them). I died many many times early on but am finding it easier to handle them now.
But let’s not confuse this newfound confidence with courage. I’m just slightly less terrified, that’s all.
The Medical Pavilion is done. And I’m about to return the research camera to Peach Wilkins in Neptune’s Bounty.
